The Stalker
by lostcowgirl
Summary: Matt comes home from Ashland but has the feeling he's being watched. Kitty has the same feeling. Whoever it is can't be up to anything good. An ATC to Season 7's The Summons.
1. Chapter 1 Goodbyes & New Beginnings

**Chapter 1 – Goodbyes and New Beginnings**

She stood in front of her door watching the big marshal ride away with his two prisoners. He'd already buried the third one, the one he'd shot. Somehow her place seemed empty. The men he was taking with him were robbers and murders and she was glad they weren't drinking her whiskey anymore. As soon as the riders were out of sight, she sighed and ducked back inside.

Knowing the man who just rode off had to see it through to the end with his prisoners, she resigned herself to waiting. There was nothing for her but to wait until he'd fulfilled his duty to the badge before she might see him again. Oh, but when she saw him, he'd take notice. The more she thought about it over the next few weeks, the more convinced she was that she'd make him see things more her way than his. The truth was that her home was where her heart was and her heart was with him.

Matt Dillon didn't look back. He'd said everything to her that needed to be said and hoped she understood. As they rode down the trail, he put all his focus on getting his prisoners before a judge. The only thing he hadn't decided about the charges was whether or not to add his kidnapping with intent to murder to the murder charge. His friend, the sheriff in Ashland, was dead and his two prisoners, one of whom planned it all as revenge for the abuse he felt Matt had handed him, were two of the three who'd killed him.

A day was all it took to reach their destination. Matt kept a close eye on the prisoners as they rode south from the farm. He'd have rather the trial take place farther north in Dodge where he was sure of a conviction, but this was much shorter even if the town itself was also on trial. He rode south. The trial took place in Ashland where somehow a jury was found to convict the men who'd scared them into shunning a US Marshal. They even hung Loy Bishop and his remaining goon there. As Matt rode out of the town, he was satisfied that the murder trial was enough to compensate him for the false summons from Sheriff Hale and the near loss of his life. It was time to get on his buckskin and ride for home before the Texans tore it apart.


	2. Chapter 2 It's Good to Be Home

**Chapter 2 – It's Good to Be Home**

Matt was tired as he rode down Front Street toward Moss Grimack's stable. Even though it was well past midnight, he looked for the light in the window as he rode past the Long Branch. Taking just enough time to stable his horse without waking Moss and drop off his gear at the office without waking Chester, Matt made his way down the back alleys until he reached the back stairs of the saloon where the light shone in the second floor window.

He walked quietly up the stairs and down the hall to the door under which a faint light showed. For a couple of minutes he stood listening for any sound from within that the occupant was still awake. Hearing nothing, he fished the key from his pocket and opened the door, softly closing it behind him and turning the lock. After hanging his hat and gun belt on the peg by the door, he picked up the lamp by the window to light his way to the bed, smiling at the sleeping woman before him, as gently as possible he sat down on his side of the bed.

The tired lawman put the lamp down on the end table and turned the wick down so it gave off a faint glow, just enough to see to remove his boots and clothes. Once he was down to his union suit bottoms he eased his body under the covers and blew out the lamp before snuggling next to the sleeping redhead. She stirred slightly in her sleep, but didn't wake and he soon dropped off too, almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

"Don't tell me when you got in," Kitty Russell said as she noticed Matt's eyes open. "I don't really want to know. Welcome home, Cowboy."

"Since we're both awake, perhaps I can show you how much I missed you before I have to leave this bed. It's not long until dawn and I'd better be heading to my office by then. Thanks for leaving the light on last night."

They made up in the short time they had for all the nights he was away during the past week since he received the telegram from Sheriff Hale. By the time the sun was peeping over the eastern horizon Matt was putting on his boots while Kitty lay back in the big brass bed happily watching her man. He was at the door, about to put on his gun belt, which he'd just grabbed from the peg, when she softly sighed.

"Kit, what's wrong?" he said as he turned back toward the bed.

"Oh nothing, Matt. I just thought you seemed a bit relieved when you first awoke and found me eager for you. What happened to you while you were gone?"

"I'll tell you later when I've more time. For now, let's leave it at It's good to be home."


	3. Chapter 3 The Decision

**Chapter 3 – The Decision**

Rose Ellen Turner sat at her kitchen table two weeks after the man whose life she'd saved left her farm without her. The last she saw of him was at the trial that she was summoned to as a key witness to all that Loy Bishop had planned and completed. If not for Loy's plans, she'd never have set her eyes on Marshal Dillon and never been in a position to free him from the irons and hand him back his gun. She knew it was that last bit which denied Bishop his total revenge and led to her frustration. The men who'd been part of her life were gone. Her father died from his broken heart, Loy and Cape were hung and the other two with Loy were dead, one at Loy's hand and the other from a bullet from the man who'd left without her to return to his home and maybe another woman.

The young woman reached her decision. She had to go to Dodge City, but she would need a stake. There was only one way to get it – sell the farm. It took less time than she thought. Even if she hadn't made the decision to leave the area around Ashland, she still would have sold the farm. She couldn't work it by herself and didn't believe any man willing to hire on was fully trustworthy. Even Matt Dillon wasn't what he should be. He was willing to take her to Dodge, but not as his woman. Once she got to his town, she'd work on him until he changed his mind.

Armed with the money she'd received from selling her farm to her neighbor, who was anxious to provide his son and daughter-in-law with a place to raise their own family, Rose Ellen, disguised as a boy, rode the one horse she decided to keep into Dodge City. Based on an ad in the Dodge paper she sent inquiries to the land office by way of the US Mail as Robert Edward Turner representing her older brother Matthew, indicating that if she liked what she saw, her brother would purchase it. She planned on staying there, but needed to know where it was. A beautiful redhead walked out the batwing doors of the Long Branch Saloon, the place Matt had told her was owned by his special friend.

The redhead was most accommodating, giving directions to the Collins place without asking too many questions. Rose Ellen not only found out this was the owner, but was invited in her guise as R. E. Turner to have a drink on the house when she returned from inspecting the property. The disguised young woman rode out to the property north of town, freshened up from the trip after gaining entry by picking the rather flimsy lock and made herself generally at home. Close to town, yet set back among trees, it suited perfectly so no nosy cowpoke or lawman would know she was a woman alone with a plan until she wanted it known. It would be far better if a certain man didn't suspect she'd followed after him, at least not yet. She returned to town just long enough to have that drink and one other. Then, feeling tired and needing to plan and observe with a clear head, she returned to her new home for the night.

Rising before dawn, Rose Ellen, keeping to her disguise, rode quietly into town to explore Dodge City before it was fully awake. The early hour might allow her to find the best vantage points for learning the where, how and with whom that tall marshal spent his days. She couldn't believe her luck. The tall man walking down the back alley could be no other than the man she sought. Keeping to the shadows, she left enough distance between her and him that he wouldn't spot her following, but not so far that she might lose him when he turned a corner or entered a building. Sure enough, he unlocked the side door of a little brick building that could only be the jailhouse.

She walked around to the front so as to pinpoint the building's position in relation to the other buildings he might frequent such as the bank, the post office and the stables. In a few days she'd know what hours he kept, where he ate, drank, slept and bought supplies. In short, she would know his daily routine. Within a week, maybe less she'd also know what he considered an emergency and how he broke that routine in reaction to it.

Peering sideways through one of the front windows, Rose Ellen could see him leaning back in his chair, his feet propped up on his desk, reading his mail. She saw a cot in the room, from which a not quite as tall, lame man was apologetically rising. That man went over to what must be a stove, although it was mostly out of her viewing range to make coffee. She had yet to find where he spent most nights. At least this morning he was coming from somewhere he'd rather wasn't common knowledge. She wondered why and how many others knew his secret. The best way to find out would be to make herself invisible to anyone who wasn't expecting to see her. Reluctantly she tore herself away from watching the object of her desire and strolled back toward the other end of town along Front Street.

For the next week Rose Ellen, disguised as the boy R. E. Turner, kept track of Matt Dillon's movements. Although he didn't have an exact pattern he followed, his movements were regular enough that she knew where he could be found most of the time. Mornings he started with coffee at the Long Branch Saloon or in his office and then went to breakfast at Delmonico's. He rarely ate alone for any of his meals. Usually his assistant Chester Goode, the lame man she'd seen that first morning, the short, elderly town physician, Doctor Adams or Miss Kitty Russell, the redheaded owner of the Long Branch, accompanied him in some combination. If he dressed for the occasion it was solely to share his meal with Miss Russell, special friend he'd told her would give her a job, she surmised. Other than that, he made his rounds several times a day, always ending up at the Long Branch. Other than riding off somewhere on business or walking to the pertinent shops along Front Street, he sat in or in front of his office awaiting developments with several stops each day, time permitting, at what was obviously his favorite watering hole.

He had a room, which he rarely used, but he seemed to spend as many nights as he could at the Long Branch. He stayed there three nights during that first week, not counting the first morning she spotted him leaving by the back stairs, sneaking back to his room or office by way of back alleys just as dawn was lighting up the sky. It looked to Rose Ellen that Kitty Russell was the reason he wouldn't make her his woman. She'd find a way to change that.


	4. Chapter 4 Time to Leave

**Chapter 4 – Time to Leave for a Spell**

Matt sat back in his chair at the table in Kitty's rooms, savoring the wonderful meal the redheaded saloon owner had prepared for him. He watched her as she poured after dinner brandy into two glasses for them to savor. All too soon they would both have to return to the bar downstairs, but for now they enjoyed their quiet time alone.

A week and a half after Rose Ellen came to town, Matt completed his rounds and sent Chester to bed because the hour was late and the streets were quiet. He walked back into the Long Branch where Sam and Kitty were busily closing for the night. Sam, bid them goodnight after locking the back door and exiting through the front. Kitty closed the glass doors behind him and slid the lock home before returning to the bar to join Matt. They picked up their drinks and walked up the stairs with their arms around each other's waist, heading straight to her rooms.

As soon as the door was closed Matt hung his hat and gun belt by the door. He removed his vest and then sat on the big brass bed to take off his boots before resting his large frame against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him while Kitty walked over to her dressing table to remove the pins from her hair and then begin the nightly ritual of brushing it to keep the strands bright and shiny.

Matt watched admiringly as she continued to prepare for the night. He strolled to her side and gave what assistance he could. She, in turn, helped him to remove his shirt. They continued to assist each other until he was clad only in the bottom half of his union suit and she, after slipping behind her screen for a moment, wore a nightgown. Kitty joined Matt, who had resumed his original position on the bed.

"Something on your mind, Cowboy, other than the obvious. We can get to that later. Right now, I can tell you need to talk."

"You know me too well. Yeah, there is. I can't shake the feeling someone's been watching us, me in particular."

"Now that you mention it, I've had that feeling too. For me, it only comes on when I'm with you. Nothing we can do about it right now, so let's get busy with that other thing on your mind."

Somehow during the night the couple managed to get some sleep. As usual, Matt was up early, dressed and headed for his office by way of the back alleys. He thought he caught a glimpse of a deeper shadow, but soon dismissed it from his mind. He needed to get ready to leave. Chester would get his horse ready, but he had some packing to do if he wanted to grab breakfast with his friends before he had to leave. He hoped Kitty awoke in time to join him, Chester and Doc.

Surprisingly for the early hour, there were quite a few other customers in Delmonico's. Matt looked around at the farmers who stayed overnight so they wouldn't have to reach their remote farms in their wagons late at night. By getting an early start they'd be home before sundown with their seeds for planting and other supplies. There were also the drifters hoping to catch on at a farm or ranch as a temporary hand. They too wanted to get an early start, but with something in their bellies. The lawman took them all in, but paid no particular attention to any one of them. None had the look of the gun for hire or the wanted man whose poster might have crossed his desk. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling he'd mentioned to Kitty the night before. He felt it very strongly as he sat and ate.

The meal was uninterrupted, but Kitty didn't quite make it in time. Matt was beginning to think he'd miss saying a final goodbye before the trip when she caught up with her three favorite men in front of the jailhouse.

"Mr. Dillon, how long you think that trial up in Hays will take?"

"I shouldn't be gone more than a week. I'll let you know as soon as it's over. Meanwhile, keep an eye on things here until I get back."

"Matt, see you when you get back. Just you be careful out there like we talked about last night."

"Aren't I always, Kitty? Don't worry, I'll be back in plenty of time to take you to that barn dance the Fishers are throwing in honor of their new baby."

Despite Matt's words, Kitty couldn't help but worry. This time wouldn't be different because he missed a dance, but because something bad would happen to him. They'd agreed last night they both shared the feeling of being watched. She wondered why and by whom. She also wondered if it was someone with a connection to the trial. All she knew is she had the feeling as they stood in front of the jail and Matt rode off down the street. She could tell he felt it too even if only she saw the fleeting expression. The feeling left her as soon as Matt was out of sight.


	5. Chapter 5 Another Person Goes to Hays

**Chapter 5 – Plans Put in Motion**

Rose Ellen knew Matt Dillon took his shaving needs and at least one change of clothes with him on the trip. She stopped in that morning at the land office in her guise as a boy of 15 or 16 and asked for the key and directions to the property, promising to return by no later than mid-afternoon with the key and her impressions. By now the young woman had become quite adept at deepening her voice for the few words she was forced to speak.

She did ride out to the place again just to be sure everything was ready. She was glad it was to be sold with the furniture. The closets and chests had been cleared of clothing, but the bed linens, pots and pans and other necessities had been left so that she didn't have to buy anything like that and maybe be noticed. Young boys drifting through town didn't usually buy domestic items without a great deal of explaining. Thanks to her forethought she didn't have to purchase a man's nightshirt or break into Dillon's room to steal one either. She'd taken a couple of Loy's old ones with her before she left the farm for good.

Matt was well on his way to Hays by the time Rose Ellen rode back into Dodge to return the keys. She told the land agent that the Collins property just might do. She'd recommend it to her brother and sister-in-law, but it might take some time for them to make up their minds; maybe as long as a month or even two. If a bona fide offer came before then, he told the man to sell it, especially if it was someone who already had Dodge City connections.

After stopping back at the Collins place, she followed the road to Hays, the same one Matt had taken. Arriving half a day after he did, Rose Ellen checked into a hotel room as R. E. Turner and went to explore the town as soon as she had a bath. While she was at it, she planned on finding one Marshal Dillon and keeping him in her sights. Before signing the register, she'd already ascertained that Matt was also staying in the hotel by glancing at the names of the guests who'd registered earlier that day. She managed to get the room next to his. All she had to do was pick the lock of the connecting door and she'd be in his room.

Rose Ellen spotted Matt having a beer in one of the local saloons with the sheriff, who seemed to be a close friend. They would be eating dinner together at the sheriff's woman's house, so she couldn't surprise him there, but as she listened to the conversation, it took on a new turn that just might give her an opportunity.

"Matt, my night deputy has a date with a gal he's sweet on tonight so I agreed to take his shift. Since I'll only be stopping at what I expect will at some point be my official home long enough to have a sandwich, you'll be on your own for supper. I know Maria would be willing to cook for you, but I don't believe you're the type man who'd hone in on a man's woman while he's away and make her cook him a meal. If you did, I'd have to send a wire to Kitty about your underhanded ways."

"I believe you'd do that, Frank. I'll eat at the hotel or a certain redhead might just turn up here looking to put me in my place."

The two men laughed, finished their drinks and walked down the main street toward the jailhouse. Frank Reardon poked his head inside long enough to inform his deputy that he and the marshal were going to Maria's house for dinner before the two continued down the street another couple of blocks. Then they turned down a side street, walking several blocks to a three-room house with a picket fence around it. The front room contained a pile of sewing in the far corner under a window. That corner, which was next to a door that led to a small bedroom just large enough for a bed, dresser and wardrobe, obviously served as a work area. It seemed the woman living here was a seamstress.

Rose Ellen, who had followed, watched the men enter before strolling casually around to the back so she could peek in the kitchen window. A beautiful Cheyenne woman was at the stove, but she turned from her cooking long enough to greet her man and their guest. It was strange that an Indian woman had moved to a White man's town to work as a seamstress. R. E. Turner had no reason except curiosity to keep watching, although she desperately wanted to, but she had things to do. She had to become Rose Ellen again.

Back at the hotel she changed into a revealing, yet somehow still proper outfit she'd purchased while exploring the town. Taking a seat in the lobby, obscured by a potted plant yet still commanding a clear view of the entrance to the dining room, Rose Ellen prepared to wait for the man of her desires to come down from his room to eat. She was rewarded a mere two hours later. Allowing enough time for the maître de to seat him at a table, she rose and sauntered into the room, her eyes searching for him.

"Why Marshal Dillon, what a pleasant surprise! I'm sure you wouldn't mind preventing a lady from eating alone," she said as she walked over to his table in the corner.

"I'd be happy to have you join me. You can tell me how you happen to be here while we eat."

They completed their meal and chatted in the lobby for some time afterwards as to their reasons for being both in the town and the hotel. Matt told her of the upcoming trial beginning the next day and Rose Ellen allowed that she'd recently sold her farm and had come to Hays as a possible place to settle if she could find a suitable position. Meanwhile, she had procured a hotel room. It was later than they thought so Matt, always the gentleman, bid her goodnight, watching her climb the stairs, before he went over to the jail to confer with his friend about his testimony and perhaps have a drink before turning in for the night himself.


	6. Chapter 6 A Surprise in the Night

**Chapter 6 – A Surprise in the Nigh**t

His business with Frank concluded, Matt gave in to his tired body and returned to his hotel room for a good night's sleep before facing giving his testimony in the morning. He might not be called as a witness until late in the day, or if the trial ran long, until the next morning. However it turned out, he'd have to remain until the verdict was reached. As one of the lawmen involved, Frank being the other, he was required to witness the hanging, should it come to that. The two men were what were left of the gang who'd robbed the bank at Jetmore.

Matt had been in Jetmore after serving an eviction notice to a couple of men who'd rented a small farm but couldn't make enough of a go of it for the older of the two brothers to send for his family. The man they were renting from decided if he wasn't going to receive regular payments, he might as well let his nephew's family have it. The two evicted men weren't too unhappy about returning to their old family farm further east, but did move on, so Matt rode into the small town to telegraph Kitty to let her and Chester know he was on his way home.

He was just exiting the telegraph office when the robbers came running out of the bank and managed to kill one of the three as they tried to escape with their spoils, but the other two got away. He ducked back into the telegraph office and wired Hays and all the other towns within a 100-mile radius. Matt saw each man clearly as they raced by toward their horses, especially the one who turned toward him after firing back into the bank. All three held saddlebags with the bank's money, but even that carried by the now dead outlaw wasn't recovered. The man Matt saw shoot into the bank and, as it turned out, kill the teller, grabbed the reins of the loose horse. Thus the escaping robbers were able to carry all the saddlebags with them.

By the time the US Marshal in Dodge was ready to give chase the men were well on their way. He gave followed but, when he hadn't caught up with them by the time he reached Ness City, he knew Frank Reardon up in Hays had a better chance of arresting them. It was a good thing the telegraph clerk was busy so Matt couldn't send his wire to Frank. Instead the clerk handed the penciled message right back.

"You might want to hold off on sending yours until you read this one, Marshal. It's from Sheriff Reardon."

Matt took the piece of paper from the clerk and read it. Frank, who expected Matt would wire him from Ness City, had the two men and was taking them to Hays. It further stated that he could go home until the trial was set and his testimony was needed. He quickly wrote a new message to countermand the one he'd sent saying he'd be delayed getting home. His return home was nearly three weeks ago. He was now in Hays ready for the trial to begin.

Using his key, Matt entered the room, closing and locking the door behind him. He flung his hat onto the table, sat on the bed to pull off his boots, and then unbuckled his gun belt, hanging it on the bedpost so it was in easy reach of his right hand should he need it for some reason during the night. Then he stripped down so he was left wearing only the bottom half of his union suit and settled himself wearily under the covers. By habit, he confined himself to his half of the bed to leave room for Kitty to join him.

The tired lawman was soon asleep and thus failed to hear the lock that kept anyone in the connecting room from entering being picked. The intruder opened the door slowly and quietly and tiptoed over to the bed. Carefully lifting the covers, the figure slipped beneath them into the space Matt had left to lay awake to determine the next course of action.

The decision was made by the marshal's dreams. He turned in his sleep to feel the soft feminine curves beside him and began to fondle the hair flowing across the pillow. Before long his long fingers were stroking the body he could feel beneath a flimsy nightgown. Suddenly, reality intruded upon his dream. There was someone beside him, but it wasn't Kitty. All he could tell in the dark was that whoever was lying next to him was female. He shifted in the bed to reach for his gun, ever so carefully drawing it from the holster even though he wouldn't use it against a woman.

"Who are you?" he demanded pointing the pistol in the direction of the person lying beside him. "Speak up or I'll rap the handle of the gun I've got pointed in your direction against the side of your head."

"Please don't do that Matt. I thought you wanted me to come over from my room next door after we got on so well at supper."

Matt stopped his hand from following through on his threat and instead reached for the matches in the nightstand drawer with his left hand. He struck the match and turning as little as possible from the person beside him lit the wick of the lamp and turned up the flame. His gaze fell on Rose Ellen Turner clad only in her nightgown. Matt put his gun away.

"It doesn't matter how you got into my room, but you'd best find a way to get out now," he barked before he noticed the connecting door. "Your room's next to mine, isn't it."

"I see the smart lawman worked it out. You can figure that out, but you're not smart enough to know I'm much better for you than that redheaded saloon owner back in Dodge City. Yes, I learned she's the special friend you said could give me a job if I left my farm to travel with you. I almost had you. Too bad you woke up!"

"Yep, it was rather sudden. I felt someone beside me that didn't match the woman in my dream. That's what woke me. Now, get out!"

"All right. I'm going back to my room. You may not want me now, just like you didn't want me back on your farm, but just you wait and see, Matt Dillon. You'll forget all about Kitty Russell and be mine, all mine."

Matt all but escorted the dark haired woman from the room. As soon as she was through the door he placed a chair against the door so that the handle could no longer turn. Then he returned to his bed, turning down the lamp so that the room darkened. However, as tired as he still was, he never fell back to sleep. There was just something about Rose Ellen's threat.


	7. Chapter 7 Plan Put in Motion

**Chapter 7 – Plan Put in Motion**

Rose Ellen was angry, but she gave in to Matt's demands. She'd hoped he'd succumb to her advances. It seemed to her she was getting somewhere with him, despite him calling that Russell woman's name in his sleep, until he woke up. How he knew someone other than that woman was in his bed for real, she didn't know, but he was hateful toward her when he found out. Well, there was nothing for it but to finish what she'd started when she set things up at the Collins place for when she brought him there and bring him there she would. Matt Dillon would be hers no matter what it took!

Like Matt Dillon in the next room, Rose Ellen Turner didn't fall asleep. Her mind was too busy dreaming up and evaluating plans. Her first decision was to not let Matt see her outside the hotel and even there, infrequently. She planned on attending the trial but even in disguise she would sit apart from him. Upon rising, she donned the clothing that was R. E. Turner and headed to the courthouse. He wasn't there yet, but soon would be.

The trial dragged on. Frank and his deputy described the capture of the two bandits in Waring that met the description Matt had telegraphed to Hays. They were carrying three saddlebags full of money with no explanation as to how two raggedy looking drifters had so much cash. They weren't exactly willing, but in the end they were locked in jail cells awaiting trial. After that the bank manager from Jetmore and the loan officer gave their testimony, describing the armed robbery. They named the taller and older of the two as the shooter and the other, along with the youngest, now dead, as the other two robbers. However, because their faces were partially covered with bandanas, they were only absolutely certain about the dead man's participation. The court adjourned, but the judge elected to hear a couple of quick civil cases where a jury trial had been waived.

The trial didn't resume until the following afternoon with Matt Dillon's testimony that, if the prosecution had its way, would tie the previous testimony into a neat bundle with Matt's in the jury's mind. The marshal was duly sworn in and answered the preliminary questions about who he was and where he resided.

"Marshal Dillon, if I understand you correctly, it's your testimony that you had just stepped out of the Jetmore telegraph office when three men came racing out of the bank. When you spotted them were their faces covered?"

"Two of them had either pulled off what hid their faces or their bandanas had fallen down when I saw them. The third pulled his down after he turned from firing two shots into the bank."

"Let the record show that the deceased bank teller had two bullets in him, which the witnesses from yesterday confirmed. Just what action did you take next Mr. Dillon?"

"I drew my gun and fired at the fleeing robbers, but only managed to get one of them. The other two rode away, but not before the one I saw fire into the bank picked up the reins of the horse of the one I killed. That horse had saddlebags, which I assumed, like the saddlebags each of the other two riders had, were filled with the money they'd just stolen."

"One final question before the defense counsel asks you his questions. Do you see the two men who rode out of Jetmore with the three horses in this courtroom and, if so, can you identify which of them fired the two shots into the bank as he was leaving? If so, please point them out."

"They're the two men at the defense table," Matt replied as he pointed toward them. "The taller one is the shooter."

"Thank you, Marshal. I have no further questions."

"Marshal Dillon, how can you be certain these are the men you saw in Jetmore, let alone which of them allegedly fired the fatal shots into that poor unfortunate bank teller? It all must have happened very quickly. Perhaps they were similar in appearance to the actual men responsible."

"I've survived this long and been as successful as I have as a lawman partially because I've a good eye for faces and I remember them. They are the two who rode out of Jetmore with the bank's money and the taller, older one is the one whose final shots killed the teller."

"Come now, Marshal. How can you be certain of your last statement? From your position outside the bank you couldn't possibly see where those shots fired into it hit."

"I had no need to see the bullets strike the teller. Once those two there were too far away for me to hit them, I went into the bank to find out all I could about what happened before wiring the details to every town within a hundred miles that had a lawman including their description and how much money was taken. All of that went into my official report."

"The local posse gave up its pursuit after ten miles or so and you stopped chasing them in Ness City. Why was that?"

"They weren't professionals so they left it up to me. Once I heard from Frank, Sheriff Reardon, I didn't have to worry about catching them, just testifying at their trial."

"It's come to my attention that you and Sheriff Reardon are close friends. You just implied that by referring to him as Frank. I couldn't help but notice you described one of my clients nearly identically. When did you get together with him to conspire against my clients?"

"Objection!" the prosecutor said, jumping to his feet. "Marshal Dillon is one of the most respected lawmen in the country. He is not on trial here, the defendants are."

"Objection sustained," replied the judge. "The witness will refrain from answering that last question. Instead, I'll answer the implied question of why the description of the defendants is so similar, there's very little leeway when describing someone you only saw physically briefly and for whom you have no other types of details such as a name or occupation. I trust your defense amounts to more than

impugning the integrity of the prosecution witnesses rather than the substance of their testimony to instill reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury. Unless the prosecution has further witnesses, we will adjourn until tomorrow morning."

The defense, such as it was, took only a small portion of the morning. Sentence was handed down after dinner. The younger defendant received a prison term of 20 years and the older, taller accused was to be hanged for murdering the teller during the commission of another felony. It would take place in two days. Matt walked with Frank toward Maria's house to share dinner as soon as the verdict was pronounced. R. E. Turner followed.

Before Matt left Maria's home to return to his hotel, he borrowed a pencil and paper and wrote out a note for Kitty, Doc and Chester and stuck it in his pocket. Rose Ellen paid a young boy she'd noticed was an adept pick pocket to substitute her own note before the big lawman could enter the telegraph office. Instead of reading, "Will leave directly after hanging. Expect me home in no more than four days," it read "Unexpected delay. Will be tied up here for another couple of weeks at least." The telegraph operator sent the latter message.

She didn't stay around for the hanging. Instead, Rose Ellen left Hays as Matt and Frank walked toward the gallows. It gave her ample time to lie in wait for him to come down the trail from a vantage point above the narrow spot within a mile of the Collins place that he had to pass on his way home. By her reckoning he would be sick enough from what she'd managed to sneak into his supply of coffee to be susceptible to her ambush.


	8. Chapter 8 An Eventful Trip Home

**Chapter 8 - An Eventful Trip Toward Home**

Matt left the vicinity of the gallows as quickly as he could once his legal duty was over, saying a quick good-bye to Frank. He'd already packed his belongings and stowed them by the hotel desk. There was nothing very important in them. He was carrying his pistol, money and watch and his saddle and the rest of his rig, including his rifle, was with the stableman, who'd been instructed to have Buck ready within five minutes of the hanging, including filling his canteen.

Mounting, his large buckskin, Matt turned his head southwest toward home. It was still early enough that he hoped to camp for the night somewhere between Ness City and Jetmore about 40 miles from Dodge. If he got an early start the next day, he just might make it to town in time to have supper with Kitty. The first day went smoothly except that his coffee, when he stopped for the night, tasted a bit more bitter than usual and his head ached and his stomach was upset enough that he didn't sleep as well as he hoped, even with keeping one eye open for bushwhackers. It was still bitter in the morning and he noticed the smell of almonds, but ignored it so he could gulp down three full cups in an effort to keep himself awake.

Still, despite the headache and starting to get cramps, he made significant progress. That is, until he reached the area five miles north of town where the trail wound between two hills and narrowed down almost to the point that two men on horseback couldn't pass each other. If he hadn't wanted to get home quickly, he would have taken a longer route that skirted that pass, but there was that nagging feeling that he'd had before he left that someone was watching him and Kitty. He just couldn't shake the fear that something might happen to her if he didn't get home even earlier than she was expecting him.

That's when it really hit him. He was having problems remaining in the saddle because his head was pounding and his stomach was cramping so much. Stopping to rest seemed a good idea. Still it was a lot of effort to climb out of the saddle so he simply sat where he was when a voice called out.

"I can help, mister. I know what's wrong with you. Just stay where you are until I get down there."

Matt, mostly because he was too sick to do anything else, waited for the rider behind the voice to catch up to him. He appeared to be a boy of about 16, but something was very familiar about him. Somehow he felt he'd met him before or had possibly met his kin. The boy grabbed Matt's reins and he let him lead him through the pass and then toward a stand of cottonwoods. Something was very familiar about the spot, but he couldn't wrap his brain around it, just like he couldn't figure where he'd met the youth before.

A house and barn appeared in front of him before they'd travelled much farther. It had the look of a place that had been neglected for a spell, but not for very long, and that time of neglect was now ended. He allowed the boy to help him off his horse and lead him inside toward a bedroom that was prepared for him, but how could that be? It must seem that way because he was so sick.

"Just you lie down on the bed. I'll help you get your boots and clothes off. I think I have what you need to make you feel better, but it won't be pleasant and the feeling better part will take some time."

His benefactor kept bringing water, milk and some sort of fruit juice mixture and telling him to drink it. Matt forced it down, but it wasn't easy. He seemed to be fighting himself and reckoned that's what was meant by it wouldn't be easy. It must have been laced with laudanum because the bitter taste he hated so much seeped through more as his cramps and headache receded. The last glass must have been mostly laudanum because he couldn't keep his eyes open. It was well after dark by then so it didn't matter so much that he wouldn't get home tonight. Fact is, he couldn't remember why getting home was important.

He awoke seemingly clearheaded to the sun shining brightly through the window. Kitty, Doc and Chester would be wondering where he was by now. Matt began to rise, shifting his body so he could shift his feet to the floor. A stabbing pain stopped him in his tracks. That's when he took careful stock of things. He was in a bed, but not one he recognized nor was it in a familiar room. The nightshirt he was wearing sure wasn't his because he never wore them. Then there was the splint on his leg. When and how did he break it? He had no idea.

Matt checked off what he did know. He'd been sick and some boy helped him and brought him to a bedroom. It most probably was this one. The lad had poured various liquids down his throat until he felt he'd float away but he no longer felt sick just very sleepy. That's all he remembered of what happened and he was sure when he first arrived at this house his leg wasn't broken, that is, if this was the same house and room. He remembered walking in under his own power with a little help from the boy to steady him. He couldn't have done that with a right leg as badly busted up as it now seemed to be. At least somebody had set and splinted it. They'd also left a pitcher of water and a glass within easy reach and a vase full of tiger lilies, but with very short stems and no leaves.

He was attempting to reach the water while causing minimal pain when the door opened and Rose Ellen Turner walked in. She went directly to the pitcher and poured a glassful for him.

"Welcome to our new home, Matt. I hope you like what little you can see of it. You were in such bad shape when you arrived it's amazing you made it to the house let alone into bed. I took over from there."

"Hold on there," Matt said between sips of what clearly wasn't water, like he'd thought, but strangely flavored lemonade. "I remember a boy and lots of liquid that made me feel better and then falling asleep."

"You were kinda out of your head. That was no boy, only me. We met up by accident in Hays. That's where you proposed. I went ahead to make arrangements to buy this place under my name so we could keep our future marriage secret, especially from your old girlfriend, Kitty Russell. She might react violently to her change of status. I expect after a time you'll explain things to her and she'll have to try and accept it that she's no longer a part of your life."

Things weren't adding up for Matt. He couldn't imagine forgetting proposing and if he did propose to anyone, it sure wouldn't be Rose Ellen Turner. He thought he'd made that clear to her back at her farm and again in Hays. It seems her version of their meeting and his was quite different. He remembered throwing her out of his hotel room and was quite sure, despite how sick he was, that he'd encountered a boy, but there was something very familiar about him.

Matt's head swirled. He was certain he had a fever. Why else would things be so confused? Rose Ellen's face kept turning into the boy's face and back again. In between, he saw and heard Doc and Kitty telling him it was all a fever dream. Kitty in particular kept telling him to beware of the boy/Rose Ellen's wiles. He felt a cold compress on his forehead and cool cloths being run up and down his body and thought it must be Kitty. Then he opened his eyes to the same bedroom he'd been in before and instead of Kitty tending to him it was Rose Ellen.

Suffering from fever as he was, Matt lost track of time. He decided if he was ever going to get back to his life he had to play along with this mad woman. Somehow, he told himself, she was causing his fever even if she didn't have anything to do with him being sick or breaking his leg to begin with. He'd never marry her, but at least he could begin to regain his strength if she thought he was succumbing to her tender care. Besides, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had to return to Dodge and Kitty sooner rather than later or something awful would happen.


	9. Chapter 9 Stranger in Dodge City

**Chapter 9 – Strangers in Dodge City**

Kitty Russell didn't like the looks of the stranger who seemed to have made the Long Branch his home nor the way he looked at her. He hadn't tried anything yet, but she knew it wouldn't be long before he did. Not for the first time she wondered how long it would be before Matt returned. How long could whatever was delaying him in Hays last?

Already Matt was gone a week longer than he'd originally expected. It wasn't like him to send a vague telegram like that implying he didn't know how long it would take. He'd send her something as soon as he had the least idea of how long he'd be just to reassure her or he'd send nothing because he didn't have any means to telegraph her. Could Frank have asked him to help with something and the two of them were out on the prairie somewhere? She'd wire Maria if she didn't hear anything from Matt in the next few days.

Kitty turned toward her office. Somehow, in the state she was in, she needed to work where it was quiet so she told Sam not to let anyone bother her unless it was Matt, or Chester or Doc with news of him. An hour later she returned to the main room to find Chester and Doc leaning against the bar as they drank their beers and two other men seated at a table with the stranger. They acted as if they just met and sat together because all three wanted to play poker, but she sensed that wasn't really the case.

"Let's sit down," she said as she greeted her two friends. "Sam, would you bring me a beer at the usual table?"

The three friends sat at the table before Doc opened his mouth, "What is it, honey? Don't think I can't tell something's bothering you."

"Doc, you're right. Matt had the feeling someone was watching him before he left. I had that same feeling too while he was here sitting with me and I'm feeling it now. Also, I can't help thinking he's in trouble. That wire he sent two weeks ago wasn't quite like him. It wasn't what was said, more how it was said. You both read it. Am I worrying over nothing?"

"It's true Matt's late, but who knows what came up that he had to handle while he was up in Hays. His territory is bigger than Dodge or even Ford County. I'm sure we'll have an explanation soon," Doc said, trying to soothe her, although he agreed there was something not quite right about the telegram.

"I wouldn't worry, Miss Kitty. Mr. Dillon will let us know what's goin' on as soon as he can," Chester added.

Two more days passed and Matt absence had stretched into the third week past the time he'd originally told her with nothing more to explain it than that second telegram. To top it off that stranger was staring at her again, with even more intensity, if that were possible. She could feel his eyes on her whenever her back was to him, undressing her. Kitty shook her head. She was being ridiculous; letting her imagination run away with her just because Matt wasn't back yet. She looked back at him, trying to size him up. He was ordinary looking; a bit less than six feet in height, of average build and dressed like a gambler, which was how he spent his time, so why did he bother her so much?

He gave her a reason for her unease the next night. He'd come up to the bar to buy another bottle for himself and the other men at his table, different ones from the two with him the night before. There were three others at the table, not just two. Sam had turned to fetch the bottle and he shifted his body, casually leaning toward her so that he'd have to reach around her for it. Another man, a saddle tramp with blond hair in need of washing like the rest of him, stumbled up to the bar and bumped into her from the other side before she could move away, shoving her toward the gambler whose arm closed around her.

"Well hello there, Red. I couldn't help but notice you this week. Help me with this bottle, won't you?"

"I don't think so. Why don't you go back to your friends?"

"I knew you'd noticed me too," he replied, ignoring her tone. "Now that we're acquainted why don't we go upstairs with the bottle and get to know each other better? Another glass, barkeep."

"Don't you dare, Sam!" Kitty ordered as she pulled away from the gambler. "I have no intention of going upstairs with you or doing anything with you. As a matter of fact, I don't want you in my saloon at all. Go find some other place to wallow."

"You heard the lady," Sam said as he lifted his shotgun from under the bar and aimed it at the man. "Get out."

The gambler left the untouched bottle on the bar, stopped back at his table long enough to pick up his winnings and strode through the batwing doors. Kitty sighed with relief. It was late and she suddenly felt tired.

"I'm turning in for the night, Sam. Would you close up for me?"

Once Sam gave his consent, she turned for the stairs and headed for her rooms. As soon as she entered, she locked the door behind her and began to prepare for bed. Maybe when she woke in the morning Matt would be back. If he wasn't she would send that wire to Maria and wait for the answer.

Matt wasn't there when she woke the next morning. As she ate breakfast with Doc and Chester Kitty tried not to show how worried she was, but Doc saw through her. He didn't admit he was almost as worried as she was, but encouraged her to send the telegram to Maria. The two men accompanied her to the telegraph office where she sent her wire and waited with her for the answer. Her worry turned to fear when Maria's reply told them Matt had left for Dodge over two weeks ago.

Chester didn't want to say anything, seeing how upset she was and that Doc was even more ornery than usual, but he felt his friends had to know even if it meant worrying even more. Maybe they could even help him.

"Mr. Dillon told me a gold shipment is coming in on today's train from Topeka and that he'd be back in plenty of time to protect it. He promised to send someone to help if he got called away on business elsewhere. Mr. Bodkin's to hold it until a group of railroad men come to get it. I ain't heard nothin' more about it 'cept the Pinkertons are guardin' it in a special train car until it gets here."

"Chester, now I'm really scared. Matt wouldn't leave you dangling like that. He'd find a way to let you know exactly what he wanted you to do."

"Well forevermore, Miss Kitty. I'm sure Mr. Dillon will be here before the train. He just has to be. While we're waitin' I thought I might see what I can do help set things up for him. I can see if any strangers have been actin' suspicious and maybe learn what they might be up to. You seen anybody like that? You too Doc."

Kitty told them about the stranger she'd observed for the past week with the five men, but not about Sam having to force him from the Long Branch after he made a move on her with the help of a sixth man. She described the men she saw him talking with and her thoughts that they were up to something. Both men agreed that they just might be planning to steal the gold and it would be so much easier for them if the marshal weren't around. Seeking out the men and trying to find out more of their plans gave the three something to do other than worrying about why Matt wasn't back yet, but the most obvious answer wouldn't leave them.

The men were never seen as a group, meeting only in twos or at most threes. However, Chester, Doc and Kitty were able to hear enough to begin to piece together what they might be doing. The leader was obviously the man who had tried to make Kitty take him upstairs with her. By two o'clock they thought they had enough of an idea of the plans that Chester went to the telegraph office to wire the sheriff in Great Bend to put some extra men on the train. It never got sent because the wires had been cut and the break, which was within a few yards of the telegraph office, had been camouflaged so Barney didn't know the line was out.

Chester knew something was wrong and, more than ever, wished Mr. Dillon would show up if he could. He'd know what to do, but since he wasn't here yet there was nothing to do but to find a way to set things right and make his boss proud. He turned toward the Long Branch where he was to meet up with Doc and Miss Kitty.

During the next two hours they traded information and devised a plan. Kitty had seen a young woman, who looked remarkably like the youth that had been in the saloon several weeks earlier, with one of the strangers she'd seen, the saddle tramp, only he was cleaned up some now. Even though she was partially hidden behind Wilbur Jonas' dress rack at the time, Kitty couldn't help the feeling that both of them knew she was there and were, in turn, watching her. The youth and the young woman had to be closely related, she felt sure of that and that relationship was the key to unraveling everything.

Chester planned to wait one more hour before he sent Sam to follow the stranger, who the three friends agreed was the leader, out of town. Several people had seen him take the east road. He'd take the north road and veer toward the Collins place. Mr. Bleaker at the Land Office told Kitty a youth fitting the description she gave him had expressed interest in her older brother buying the place for himself and his wife. The wait ended suddenly.

"Chester, have you seen the marshal?" Dan Jordan shouted as he ran into the saloon and spotted the marshal's assistant with Doc and Kitty. "Doc, glad to see you too. I'm afraid you might be needed."

"Well, Mr. Dillon's not back yet. I reckon you'd best tell me."

Jordan soon told his story of starting into town for supplies from his farm ten miles to the east and passing by where the train runs at the edge of his property. The tracks were blocked and torn up and the train wrecked because it couldn't stop on time. Folks were hurt and to top it off, he was told the passengers and train had been robbed, including a special car with gold. Chester immediately formed a posse, some to help Doc with the wounded and the rest to go after the robbers. Kitty agreed to stay behind to prepare a makeshift hospital in the Long Branch for the injured and wait for Matt.


	10. Chapter 10 Rose Ellen Receives Surprises

**Chapter 10 – Rose Ellen Receives Some Surprises**

Rose Ellen noticed Matt was becoming more cooperative even as she cut back on his directly drinking the mixture derived from the tiger lilies. She now added the potion to the stew and porridge she served him. He was still slightly feverish and quite weak, but she was letting him gradually regain his strength. It was about time, because it was nigh on to three weeks since she'd brought him to what she considered to be their place. That's when someone knocking on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Pardon me, ma'am for disturbing you. I was wonderin' if I might trouble you for some water for my horse and maybe even a cup o' coffee for myself," said a blond man dressed like a drifter who hadn't seen a bathtub or clean clothes for weeks.

She agreed, but, nevertheless, was shoved back inside by the man and his two not quite as scruffy companions. They quickly checked the other rooms when they heard Matt call out for her. They found him in the bed when they pushed into the room with a gun at her back. He pretended to be out of his head with fever.

"That your man? What ails him?" one of the companions asked, but with an air that he just might be something more than she wished to tangle with.

"Yeah, he's my man. His leg's busted and he's been runnin' a fever from it and maybe the ague. Doc was out here and did all he could. I hope he's on the mend, but I can't tell for sure," she said recognizing the men for the outlaws they were thanks to her experience with Loy Bishop and his partners.

Rose Ellen knew Matt wasn't as weak or feverish as he pretended. He hadn't survived this long as a lawman without being able to size up a situation quickly. That didn't mean she could trust him to remain as cooperative if a posse came out this way. With his gun across the room on a peg, it wasn't likely he could reach it with his leg in a splint and no crutches to speed him along even if he forgot the fact he had no pants he could wear. Despite the advantage she held over him, she laced his dinner with laudanum in addition to the lily brew so he'd fall asleep if one or more asked her to go to town. She was too close. She wasn't about to love him now. After dealing with Matt, she fed the three intruders directly from the pot, which was untainted, and gave them a chance to spruce up.

Only the blond rode into Dodge with her to load the Collins' wagon with axes, dynamite and ammunition along with the normal flour and sugar at Jonas' store. Rose Ellen didn't know if her escort and his dark-haired companion, who was looking at the boots, saw they were observed, but that Kitty woman was lurking behind the ladies' dress rack. When she left the store, however, Kitty remained as if the redhead had shopping to do. Rose Ellen said nothing of her suspicions as they brought the wagon back to the farm. Once the groceries were unloaded all but the other two took off to the east with the wagon, leaving the blond man on guard.

Two hours later the two were back with three more. Matt was still asleep. She'd given him a second weak dose of the laudanum when she first returned. Now she thought that maybe it hadn't been such a good idea. She was sure of it when, a short while later, the leader entered the house dragging Kitty Russell with him.

"I see you plan to stay for awhile," she quipped even though she knew it wasn't smart of her. "You even brought your own whore to keep you entertained."

"Come on out, woman," the leader ordered. "My men can start with you while I have fun with the redhead. I have some further use for the marshal's whore beyond that so I'm not allowin' anyone to go too far with her. Otherwise, she won't bring him runnin' so I can kill him. After that, it won't matter. Tom," he said to the blond man still in the room with Matt. "Is it safe to leave her man alone?"

"Yeah, Mr. Roundtree. He's out of his head with fever. Besides, he's got a busted leg. He ain't goin' nowhere," Tom Brower replied as he joined the rest of the gang and the two women in the main room, leaving the door slightly ajar in case he was wrong.


	11. Chapter 11 Matt Sees His Chance

**Chapter 11 – Matt Sees His Chance**

Matt had eaten less of the meal Rose Ellen had prepared for him than she thought and spit out the extra dose of laudanum into the lily vase, so he heard all of the conversation before he was left alone in the room. For the past ten minutes he'd been playing possum and thinking how he might get away without boots and pants unless he could find a way to rip the right pant leg so it fit over his broken one. He'd worry about that later. Now he had to see if he could make it across the room to get the lay of the land and his gun belt on the peg by the door. He had no idea where his rifle was.

Dressed only in a nightshirt and the bottoms of the union suit, with the now slit right leg thanks to the fact the material was old and thin, he wore, Matt eased his body into a sitting position and turned so that his legs were on the floor. The splint on his right leg ran from just above his sock line to just under his knee. He could bend the knee, but with difficulty, he figured if Chester could get around with no mobility in his knee than he should be able to deal with limited movement. Bracing himself with his left hand holding the headboard and his right pushing off against the bed, Matt managed to stand by at first putting all his weight on his left leg and foot.

That small act had taken more of a toll on him than he thought it would, but at least the leg seemed to support his weight as long as he didn't put too much of it on it. How did he ever allow that woman to put him in such a weakened state? With less pain than he'd expected Matt quietly inched his way across the room toward the door and his weapon on his sock-clad feet. Leaning against the wall to catch his breath, he reached up for his gun belt and removed it from the hook. It was soon buckled around the nightshirt and he'd drawn the pistol in preparation for whatever he might find in the next room.

At first he merely peeked out through the thin opening Brower had left. The blond man was standing directly in front of the door. That was good. What he didn't like was what he saw beyond Brower. Three men were pawing at Rose Ellen Turner, shoving her from one to the other. That was almost to be expected. What made his heart leap into his throat was the sight of Kitty struggling to get away from a man he recognized from a wanted poster that he received just before he left for Hays, Quince Roundtree.

"All right. Let the women go and then drop your guns," he ordered as he pushed the bedroom door open wide with his gun arm and shifted the arm ever so slightly so that the gun now rested in the small of Browder's back with only Browder obeying. "You do as you're told and this man might just live," Matt added as the adrenalin filled his body.

"Who do you think you are, Turner, Matt Dillon?" Roundtree sneered. "I don't care if you kill Brower, that's one less split of the gold shipment. Your marshal's not anywhere around, but it won't matter if he comes bustin' through the door in the next minute. You'll already be dead."

"I don't just think I'm Matt Dillon, I am Matt Dillon! Now do what I told you," Matt said as he shoved Brower aside, ready to fire.

Rose Ellen and Kitty took the opportunity the momentary shock to the outlaws afforded them to break away and race toward Matt. Roundtree lunged at Kitty to try to restore his grip, but the largest of the others managed to grab Rose Ellen with his left arm while going for his gun with his right. Matt fired before the other man could and hit his mark. The man fell. Then a second man fell just as he squeezed the trigger, his shot missing Matt's head by a hair. That man also fell dead. Only three outlaws remained, including Roundtree, unless there were more outside on lookout duty.

That's when the front door of the house burst open. Neither Roundtree nor the man to Matt's left turned to fire at the posse coming through the door led by Chester. Instead the one grabbed for Kitty while Roundtree aimed at Rose Ellen. Matt fired at the one before the scoundrel could use Kitty as a shield. At the same time, Browder retrieved his gun from the floor and fired at Roundtree, wounding him enough that Chester could take his gun before Sam and Dan Jordan followed him through the open door.

As Matt limped to where Roundtree lay with Chester's rifle pointed at him, he took the gun Browder offered him and handed it to Kitty who'd come up to his side. Kitty held on to the pistol, but saw no need for it at the moment. Browder wasn't trying to get away. Instead he was standing next to a shaken Rose Ellen and offering his arm to lead her to the divan. Things could change if the remaining two showed up.

"You gotta be Dillon. No two-bit rancher could have killed my men like that," Roundtree observed. "I just want to know one thing. I thought the redheaded whore next to you was your woman. What were you doin' playin' house with the bitch over there?"

"You don't need to know, Roundtree, but one more word out of you about Kitty and I won't wait for the bullet Browder put in you to finish you off. You might tell me what you did with what you stole from the train, but if you don't I'll find it anyway."

Quince Roundtree never uttered another word. He died just as the extra strength from the adrenalin rush at finding Kitty in Roundtree's hands left Matt. He started to collapse where he stood next to an easy chair, but Kitty was right beside him to guide his body into that very chair before he fell to the floor exhausted.

An hour later, the bodies of the dead outlaws filled the back of the farm's buckboard, including the two lookouts that the posse had dispatched. Two boxes of gold were on the table in the house along with four sacks of stolen goods from the train's passengers. Roundtree had brought a buggy out to the robbery site and stowed it inside. He'd gone back to Dodge to grab Kitty while the rest of his gang went to join Rose Ellen and Browder with the ill, supposed Matt Turner to hide out until the posse gave up and Dillon was dead. That was the story they pieced together from what Browder was able to supply.

Kitty by this time was stirring a fresh batch of stew she'd made while Matt and Chester watched Rose Ellen and Browder set the table. Dan Jordan was already gone with the buckboard, his horse tied on behind, to deliver the bodies for burial on Boot Hill. Matt, who now wore pants slit up the side like the union suit and a shirt, was happy to be able to sit and watch his redhead prepare a meal, once again relieved that her man had returned to her. Later, he knew she'd insist he go see Doc and then take some time to rest.

The six remaining people sat around the table eating and talking. Matt moved his sock covered left foot so that it brushed against Kitty's right leg hidden under her dress and petticoat as he took yet another forkful of the most delicious stew he'd eaten in a month. After all, his redhead had cooked it. Maria was a good cook, as was Rose Ellen when she wasn't trying to poison him, but they weren't Kitty.

"Matt, I owe you and Kitty an apology. None of this mess would have happened if I hadn't decided to stop at nothing to change your mind about making me your woman. I should have realized I had no chance when I first saw you two together while I was disguised as R. E. Turner. Kitty, even if I'd managed to kill you without him knowing it was me, he'd still love only you. I knew that when he opened the bedroom door and saw you in Roundtree's clutches. He would have tried to save my life, and in a sense did, but his actions were all to save yours. What's gonna happen to me now?"

"I could arrest you and have you stand trial, Rose Ellen for assault, kidnapping and a host of other charges, but I don't feel it's necessary. As to saving lives, I'd say we're even."

"I'm not quite as forgiving as Matt," Kitty hissed, fuming that this woman almost got Matt killed, not to mention what might have happened if Roundtee'd had his way. "All you did was watch him in town, trail him to Hays, sneak into his bed, send a false telegram and poison him. Matt won't ask, but I will. How did you break his leg?"

"I shot him with his rifle while I had him out cold from the fever. I was taking no chances on his getting away from me again, so I made sure the bullet went through both bones cleanly without hitting anything that would cause him to bleed to death and hid the rifle in the barn under his saddle. Then I set the bones and splinted up the leg. He's been resting it until tonight, so I reckon it's pretty well healed by now."

"Marshal, what about me?" Browder said when he finally got a word in. "I was part of Roundtree's gang."

"Browder, I'm not gonna bring any charges against you either. All you did was make some purchases at Jonas' store and seek shelter in this house, which Rose Ellen is considering buying, and save the lives of both Rose Ellen and me by helping us capture the most of the gang before the posse got here."

By the time the next week had passed, Matt was walking without a cane, the Long Branch was no longer doubling as a hospital and Rose Ellen Turner and Tom Brower had bought the Collins place to work as a ranch and announced their engagement. Doc had seen to the recovery of the last of his patients from the train wreck, all the passengers and the railroad had their gold back and the last of the Texas cowboys were leaving Dodge until the next season. Leaving Sam in charge of the Long Branch until they returned in time for the Saturday night crowd, Chester, Doc, Matt and Kitty decided to relax with a picnic and some fishing along the banks of the Arkansas River. They'd earned it.


End file.
